Shoe polish applicator



Nov. 14, 1961 1.. D. THOMPSON 3,008,172 SHOE POLISH APPLICATOR FiledDec. 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 AT TORNE)S Nov. 14, 1961 Filed Dec. 17,1958 L. D. THOMPSON 3,008,172 SHOE POLISH APPLICATOR 2 SheetsSheet- 2 Z5II I /Z F 4 0 6 if 36 [/6 37 &

93W a!) ,5) His ATTORNEfS United States 3,008,172 SHOE POLISH APPLICATORLynn D. Thompson, 3912 Blaisdell Ave, Minneapolis, Minn. Filed Dec. 17,1958, Ser. No. 781,143 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-547) This invention relates toa fountain brush particularly suitable for use as a shoe polishapplicator. Shoe polish of the paste wax variety is commonly applied tothe surface of leather goods such as shoes by means of a brush, rag orfingertips which have been dipped into an open can or container of pastewax. This method is disadvantageous because it is messy, inconvenient,soils the hands and involves the disposition of soiled rags and thestoring of brushes having wax thereon, and is additionallydisadvantageous because the repeated opening of the container of shoepolish tends to dry out the wax making it progressively less suitablefor use.

Also, where a brush is employed, there is normally no convenient meansprovided for storing and sealing the brush to prevent the bristles frombecoming hard and unmanageable due to the drying of wax thereon betweenuses thereof.

An object of my invention is a fountain brush type shoe polishapplicator in which the handle of the brush serves as a reservoir forthe paste wax and has screw operated piston means for extruding thepolish from the reservoir to the bristle tips in measured quantities andhermetically seals the polish and bristles when not in use to preventdrying thereof, thereby maintaining the polish and bristles in softpliable condition throughout long periods of usage.

Another object is an applicator of the class described which isparticularly adapted for use with a disposable polish containingcartridge which is adapted for easy assembly therewith.

Still another object is an applicator of the class described havingconveyor means for delivering the polish from the reservoir to thebristles in uniform measured quantities as well as means for retainingthe polish in the bristle portion of the applicator and preventing messyspill over of the polish on the sides of the applicator.

A further object is an applicator of the class described in which theextruding piston and operating screw may be permanently hermeticallysealed in the cartridge and disposed of therewith.

A still further object is an applicator of the class described in whichthe means for hermetically sealing the bristles when not in use mayfunction as the operating mechanism for the screw motivated extrudingpiston when in use.

A more specific object of my invention is a shoe polish applicator ofthe class described in which the disposable cartridge is detachablyunited with the bristle portion thereof to serve as a disposable handleand polish reservoir therefor.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fullyappear from the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to thesame or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of one form of application of myinvention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of the lower portion of thedisposable cartridgeof FIG. 1 equipped with a removable sealing cap;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of another applicator of myinvention;

FIG. 4 is a cross section of FIG. 3 along the line 4-4; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the piston screw activating mechanismillustrated in FIG. 3.

Referring to the embodiment of my invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thehandle of the applicator and reservoir for the shoe polish consists of ahollow disposable elongate body or cartridge 6 having a polish extrudingaperture in the bottom thereof defined by the exteriorly threadedtapered nozzle '7 and having mounted and enclosed therein a polishextrusion mechanism comprising a co'axially disposed longitudinallymovable extrusion member such as piston 8 whose peripheral edgecircumferentially engages the interior wall of the cartridge and apiston motivating member such as the elongate screw 9 which isthreadably engaged with the piston 8 coaxially thereof and is turned bymeans of a screw activator such as clutch plate 10 which is hastened tothe butt 11 of the screw and rests on a shallow dish-like supporting andsealing member such as housing 12 which is inserted into the upperopening end of the cartridge in close fitting relation thereto andsealingly and fixedly secured thereto.

A washer 13 assists in sealing the screw butt receiving aperture in thehousing 12. The lower end of the screw 9 is provided with a worm gearconveyor 14 which is inserted into and enclosed within the nozzle 7 andserves to deliver the extruded polish from the cartridge in uniformuninterrupted quantities. To prevent rotation of the piston 8 in thecartridge, the cartridge and piston may be of elliptical or oval crosssection, as shown in FIG. 4, or some other means such as a cooperatingkey and keyway may be provided.

The brush portion of the applicator consisting of a bristle holding ring15, bristles 16 fixedly mounted thereon, and an annular polish retaininglip 17 are detachably secured to the cartridge as by means of aninteriorly threaded aperture in the holding ring 15, which threadablyengages the nozzle 7. The annular retaining lip 17 extends downwardlysufficiently to form a recessed portion below the holding ring whichrecess surrounds and encloses the major portion of the bristles,permitting only a minor portion of the bristles to extend therebeyond.The nozzle 7 is adapted to project into the recess far enough to deliverthe polish to the bristle tips, rather than to the base of the bristles.

An operating and sealing cap, indicated generally by 18 is providedwhich performs the dual functions of hermetically sealing the bristlesand lower portion of the cartridge when the applicator is not in use andserving as the operating cap when means for turning the screw 9 whenpolish is to be applied. The cap is provided with an annular wall 19which fits over the retaining lip 17 in close fitting relationshiptherewith to hermetically seal the bristles and cartridge when not inuse, as best shown by the dotted lines of FIG. 1, and is removablysecured thereto as by means of lugs 20 which engage bayonet typeapertures provided in the wall 19.

When functioning as the means for turning the screw 9, to extrude polishfrom the cartridge, the cap 18 is removed from sealing engagement withthe brush portion and is rotatably mounted on the top of the cartridge,so as to enclose it, with the gear teeth 21 projecting from theinnerface of the cap engaging suitable recesses 22 provided in the uppersurface of the clutch plate 10.

In operation, the cap 18 is removed from sealing engagement with thebrush portion and mounted in operative engagement with the clutch plate10. By turning the cap 18, screw 9 is caused to turn or rotate throughthe medium of clutch plate 10. The piston 8, being nonrotatable, iscaused to move or slide downwardly in the cartridge chamber in responseto the turning of the screw, and presses against the polish containedtherein, forcing it out of the cartridge through the nozzled aperture 7.

- 3 The spiral worm gear 14, which turns or rotates simultaneously withthe screw 9 conveys the polish forced into the nozzle through the nozzleto the bristle tips in uniform uninterrupted quantities. Because thenozzle terminates just below the surface 'of the bristle tips, thepolish is ready for application upon leaving the nozzle, and does nothave to ooze up from the base of the bristles as would be the case ifthe nozzle terminated near the base of the bristles. This arrangementalso permits only, the right amount of polish needed tobe extruded anddelivered to the bristles, and substantially reduces the amount ofpolish which would otherwise accumulate around the base of the bristlesand be wasted. It is, of course, inevitable that small portions of thepolish will be worked backwardly towards the base of the bristles andaccumulate there, this amount of polish slowly increasing with each useof the applicator. However, this portion of the polish which backs up tothe base of this bristles is success-fully retained therein by means ofa retaining lip 17 which prevents the polish spilling over the sides ofthe applicator and soiling the hands. The worm gear not only deliversthe polish uniformly and in measured quantities to the bristle tips, butalso prevents any mass reaction by the polish which might occur toprevent or make difiicult the passage of the polish through the nozzle,and also eliminates the possibility of the polish being delivered inspurts or gushes, which frequently occurs when no conveyor mechanismsuch as the worm gear is provided.

When the desired amount of polish has been applied to the leathersurface to be polished, the operating cap is removed from engagementwith the clutch plate and remounted in sealing engagement with the brushportion, as previously described.

FIG. 2 shows the cartridge provided with a threaded sealing cap 23 whichmay be employed to hermetically seal the contents of the cartridge priorto its being attached to the brush portion for use.

Still another form of my invention is illustrated by FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.In this particular embodiment, the disposable cartridge 6 containing thepolish and extruding piston 8, piston screw 9, clutch plate 35 andsealing and mounting frame 12', and provided with an extrusion,

nozzle 36 which receives and encloses a conical wax agitating elementcarried and rotated by the screw member 9 and corresponding to theelement 14 of FIG. 1. with the spiral worm removed therefrom, and saidnozzle, is inserted into an elongate annular handle or sleeve 24 havingupper portion 25 and lower portion 26 detachably connected as at 29 topermit the cartridge to be readily inserted into and removed from thesleeve. The tapered nozzle 36 is inserted through and engages a suitablecooperative tapered aperture in the bristle holding ring which isinserted into and encloses the lower end of the sleeve 24 and is held inplace as by set screws 27, the lower leading edge of the sleeveproviding an annular polish retaining lip 37 similar to the retaininglip 17 previously described in conjunction with the form shown in FIG.1.

The upper portion of the sleeve has mounted thereon a rotatable gearmechanism 2-8 attached to and rotated by the rotatable operating cap 3%,the gear mechanism 28 having downwardly projecting teeth 31 adapted tocooperatively engage the gear teeth 32 of the rotatable clutch plate 35to turn the piston screw 9.

The operating cap is provided with a threaded overhanging flange 33'which is adapted to threadedly engage the wall of the sealing container34, into which the applicator is inserted when not in use tohermetically seal the bristles and cartridge. In the form shown, thepiston and cartridge and interior bore of the sleeve or handle areelliptical in cross section, as best shown in FIG. 4,'to preventrelative rotation between the piston and the cartridge in between thecartridge and the handle. However, it should be understood that I do notlimit my invention to this elliptical configuration and include as partof my invention any suitable means for preventing relative rotationmovement between the pistons and the cartridge, and between thecartridge and the handle.

In operation, a fresh cartridge filled with shoe polish is inserted inthe handle and the applicator is assembled as shown in FIG. 3. Theapplicator is removed from the container 34, and the operating cap isturned, causing the piston 8 to press against the polish contained inthe cartridge and force it out of the cartridge through the nozzle intothe bristle tips. When the polish has been applied, the applicator isreinserted in the container 34 to hermetically seal the bristles and thepolish remaining in the cartridge.

From the foregoing description, it can readily be seen that I haveprovided a novel fountain brush type shoe polish applicator which iscomposed of readily assembled and disassembled component parts, whichmay be in-. dividually replaced when worn out or emptied without theexpense of replacing the entire unit. This is particularly true of thedisposable cartridge which may readily be replaced when emptied, and thebrush portion which may be replaced when the bristles become Worn orunmanageable. In addition, the polish is delivered to the bristle tipsin steady uniform quantity, any excess polish is retained in the bristlearea and prevents it from spilling over to cause soiling of the hands,the polish and bristles are hermetically sealed when not in use tomaintain them in self-pliable condition, and the polish is substantiallyhermetically sealed even during application of the polish by theparticular structure of my invention.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, arrangement and pro portions of the various partswithout departing from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A fountain brush for dispensing and applying shoe wax and the likecomprising a hollow container body having an aperture brush structuredetach-ably mounted thereon, a nozzle member extending through theaperture of the brush structure providing n communicating passagebetween the interior of the body member and the bristles in an areaadjacent to the tips thereof, a piston enclosed within the body memberadapted to extrude the contents therefrom and having a screw type pistonrod cooperatively engaged therewith for motivating said piston, meansenclosing the upper end of the body member and hermetically sealing thecontents therein, a spiral conveyor connected to the screw member andturnable therewith and disposed in said nozzle and adapted to carry theextruded contents from the body member through the nozzle to thebristles, and an annular retaining wall adapted to confine the extrudedpolish to the bristles, and a cap member adapted to detachably engageand turn the screw member in use and for detachable mounting on thecontainer brush assembly to enclose the brush bristles and hermeticallyseal the brush structure when not in use.

2. A shoe polish dispenser comprising an elongate disposable annularcartridge suitable for use as a reservoir for shoe polish and the likeand readily adaptable for grasping, said cartridge being provided withan axially disposed nozzle member at one end thereof, a bristle mountingmember having an axial aperture therein adapted to receive and seat incooperative engagement with the nozzle member of said cartridge, meansdetachably connecting the bristle holding member to said cartridgemember, a polish extruding piston whose periphery is adapted to engagethe interior surface of said cartridge so as to press against the shoepolish contained therein and extrude the same therefrom, and anelongated screw member threadably engaged with said piston member, therotation of said screw member forcing the piston member against thepolish contained in said cartridge, mechanism adapted to rotate saidelongate screw member and a cap member adapted for removable mounting onthe cartridge brush assembly to enclose the brush bristles tohermetically seal said bristles when not in use, said member being alsoadaptable for detachable connection to said mechanism for use as theactivating member for said piston screw mechanism to extiude the polishfrom the cartridge and dispense same to the bristles of the brush.

3. In a shoe polish applicator, a disposable tubular polish containingbody member, a brush structure adapted for mounting on the lower end ofsaid member for receiving polish therefrom, means hermetically sealedwithin said body member together with said polish at the point ofmanufacture for extruding the polish therefrom including a rotatablescrew member and a polish extruding piston element motivated by saidscrew member, screw turning means connected to said screw memberadjacent the upper end of said body member and located outside saidhermetically sealed portion and a cap member adapted to removably andcooperatively engage said screw turning means to turn the rotatablescrew member to extrude polish from said member to the brush and furtheradapted to be disengaged from said screw turning means and removablymounted on the lower end portion of the body member-brush assembly toenclose the bristles of the brush and hermetically seal the brushstructure when not in use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS711,777 Marqua Oct. 21, 1902 870,257 Stevens Nov. 5, 1907 953,371 ClarkMar. 29, 1910 1,118,688 Schreidt Nov. 24, 1914 1,179,338 Savage Apr.11,1916 1,275,516 Wren Aug. 13, 1918 1,309,900 Corkell July 15, 19191,445,911 Rayder Feb. 20, 1923 1,899,984 Powell Mar. 7, 1933 2,041,605Heilweil May 19, 1936 2,199,877 Cervera May 7, 1940

